Thousands in Austin ISD students walked out of their classes Friday in protest of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, now Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding an investigation.
As part of the protest, some students left their middle and high schools to walk to the Texas Capitol. Responding to videos posted online of the Austin ISD protests that showed district police vehicles near the demonstrating students, Abbott called on Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate the demonstrations.
“AISD gets taxpayer dollars to teach the subjects required by the state, not to help students skip school to protest,” Abbott wrote Friday evening. “Our schools are for educating our children, not political indoctrination.”
The protests were not sponsored or endorsed by the district or any AISD campus, Superintendent Matias Segura wrote in a letter to families. The district always wants to have students in the classroom during instructional hours, he said.
“During the school day, our students are our responsibility and we’re committed to the safety of our schools in our community, regardless if they are on our campus,” Segura said. “That is why our administrators and Austin ISD police remain with our students during protest activities during school hours.”
The district has limited ability to ensure students’ safety when they attend non-sanctioned events, Segura said. Staff cannot physically prevent students who choose to leave a campus, and those who leave campus during the school day to participate in a protest will be marked as an unexcused absence, he added.
The student marches in Austin were part of a national day of action against ICE, in which a coalition of businesses, labor groups and advocacy organizations called for protesters to shutdown work, school and shopping. The protests are in response to the killings of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Silverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter Jr., all civilians who died during encounters with federal agents.